Out to the Black
by Levhitor
Summary: Star Trek was just a show. Eve Online was just a game. And the Machine Cult was just a joke... Or so I thought. In the body of a Capsuleer, with the Rust Ghosts along for the ride and the Federation in front of me, I curse Q.  [You can find out more on SB/SV Links under my profile]
1. Prologue

_**Captain's Log, Stardate 41551.7:**_  
><em><strong>We are approaching Ophiuchi XII after Deep Space 5 reported massive tachyonic and gravimetric signatures. My belief is that we will encounter nothing more than another space anomaly to study. Starfleet suspects, however, that the Kzinti Patriarchy has recently found a sympathetic contact that either; Gave them access to a new weapon system or is willing to work with them.<strong>_

_**At the moment, Councilor Deanna Troy and Commander William T. Riker are returning from an emergency conference on Starbase one seven two. Engineering is performing preventive maintenance on our dilithium crystals, so we are presently traveling on impulse power. In three hours time we are scheduled to rendezvous with Shuttlecraft 8 before re-entering warp speed.**_

_**Liutenant Commander Data has informed me routine deep space probes detect no vessels or debris within a range of three light years, yet the strange anomaly continues to eject random pulses of energy.**_

* * *

><p>I was barely aware of what was happening, as I laid on my desk at home a light blinded me, there was a rising increments of sharp pain, my body contorted itself in shapes I knew were not possible and unimaginable pain filled my body as I felt as if molten lead was poured inside of me, and as suddenly as it started, it went away, leaving nothing but the dull, hazy, red-rimmed awareness of excruciating aches all over fighting for their share of attention from my fading consciousness.<p>

Time passed before I woke up again, whether it was seconds or years, I do not know. I could only feel myself, hunched over in a strange warm liquid. I dared not to open my eyes, yet I forced them open, I cracked open one eye, then the other. It was hardly worth it, the liquid did not hurt my eyes but everything else was completely black -and a part of my mind that had gone very cold and analytically was amazed not only by the fact that I was panicking, but by the smallest details such that I was almost unable to move, breath, or even see, yet it felt right.

The hazy aches started to fade, and I slowly started to wiggle, my body obeyed -albeit the liquid was too dense to really move- So I wasn't paralyzed. At least that's one concern out of the box. But I was desperate for sensation, for something else than this dark entombment, and as I started to prove and wiggle, I felt something indescribable, It was like pinhole leading out to an ocean, showering me with ray of light and teasing me to open it, to leave behind my mortal chains and become one with it.

I did.

The sensation of claustrophobia I felt in the [Pod] was left behind as my new senses literally flooded me, information I never knew was now mine to use, navigation, weaponry, mechanics, science, war. Years... no Centuries of information were assimilated by me, but that was nothing compared to my new... my new body.

Kilometers and kilometers of hallways and rooms were now open to my senses, to my direct control, armories and hangars, ships and blueprints, fighters and drones, clone bays and blueprints, everything was... me, but as sudden as the initial flood was, nothing compared to what was to come, every moment my senses, my intelligence became better, faster, stronger, clearer, all in an euphoric crescendo of data and information that opened my eyes to the world, to the Universe.

Gravimetric, Magnometric, Ladar, Radar, Electromagnetic, Thermal, Infrared, All type of cameras and sensors started to work with pre-loaded subroutines and system diagnostics, mapping every single detail about the system I was in, about the Universe, the surrounding galaxies, tracing star charts, possible fuel sources, gravimetric wells with resonances strong enough to be able to jump into, ending the maddening data input with a simple but anti-climatic end to the calculations and it's following silence.

This all happened in a few seconds, only making it clearer on my mind. I transcended the mortality of the flesh and became something more, I knew not how this fell into my lap, how I acquired such power without paying anything, my mind running every single analysis possible to my memories, the flash that transformed me and leaved me here. Yet it came with nothing, only wild speculations and guesses. This was simply madness, yet I would be lying If I said I would have not taken the chance if asked.

* * *

><p>Ophiuchi XII, a simple system where a standard yellow star resides, planets; two, a barren ice planet and a gas giant, both of them surrounded by a veritable horde of moons and a thick asteroid belt separating them. Nothing more than another uninhabitable system. Normally the discovery of a strange astronomical event would be nothing of such magnitude as to call for the action of a Galaxy-Classship, much less the Enterprise. Yet, this had to be done, if nothing else than a show of force against the Kzinti Patriarchy; Which for the last few years has been surrounded by rumors of a growing dissent and covert mobilization in an effort to rise against the Federation.<p>

Captain Jean-Luc Picard, contemplated this assignment, he despised the need to use his ship as a symbol of power, yet he knew it was necessary. For the last few hours the deep space probes and the Enterprise sensors had not detected anything that could give support to said rumors. The system was empty, and from what they could detect said anomaly appeared to be something akin a small unstable wormhole. The only facts that contradicted those claims were the spikes of energy and the lack of any subspace turbulence connected to said object. Quite a curiosity if nothing else.

The Captain drummed his fingers on the armrest on his chair and watched the stars drift by through the view port of his ready room. Only one and a half more hours to rendezvous with the shuttle, and they were going to go by just as slowly as the previous two had. That was fine, nothing was happening. It was true that the Enterprise saw more action than most ships in Starfleet. Most of the time it was like this, though. Dull. Monotonous. He enjoyed this moments of peace, and he hoped it were always like this.

"Captain Picard, please report to the bridge." the voice of Lieutenant Commander Data reverberated trough the ready room cutting the peaceful silence. Climbing to his feet, Picard tugged his uniform before stepping out to the bridge. The bridge crew were in a flurry of activity, but they didn't seem to be acting too urgently, nor they seem concerned. The only exception, seemed to be Data.

"Any new developments with our anomaly Data?" the Captain asked as he settled next to his station and internally sighed. He knew something was going to happen, the last few weeks had been to peaceful.

"In fact yes, the "wormhole" appears to have imploded upon itself. Our sensors detected a massive spike of energy, in fact, in approximately four years it should be visible from this distance with a magnitude of approximately -18.24." Data replied, "Said spike has jammed our sensors, It shall take me a few minutes to re-calibrate."

Now, that raised several eyebrows, a magnitude of -18.24 at a four light years of distance? That was a massive release of energy.

"Data, do we have anything similar on records? is there any record of any occurrence even remotely similar to this?" the Captain asked.

"Accessing... negative, sir. There is no record of any Federation vessel encountering anything remotely like this."

The Captain nodded as he walked towards his seat on the bridge, the present crew already running diagnostics, for it seemed that the Enterprise was going to boldly go to where no man has gone before. Again. And after seating himself he opened a communication line "Engineering, how fast can you finish the dilithium crystals maintenance?" The captain asked, and the reply from Main Engenieering was a simple and concise:

"Captain, we can be ready in 10 minutes if necessary." Thinking of his options, the man looked around for a second before starting giving orders.

"Do so, Indeed I believe It is the time to take a closer look. Worf, speed up to max impulse, scanning and recording as we go. Ensign, notify Shuttlecraft 8 of our change of plans. Data any progress re calibrating the sensors?" Picard said.

"Yes sir, Maximum Impulse, mark two-six-eight seven-eight-two. 13 minutes until Warp Speed." Worf stated after a few seconds.

"New orders sent, sir." the Ensign replied briskly.

"Affirmative Sir, give me a few seconds and it should be done." Data countered immediately.

The captain heard everything said, and finally asked; "What do our sensors indicate?"

Surprisingly, it was not Data that answered, but Lieutenant Natasha Yar. "Captain, Unknown vessel, heading Three-one-one. Exactly where the anomaly was placed before the explosion." After that she hesitated a mere second but continued "I suggest we enter Yellow alert, sir"

The Captain sighed, and after a few seconds of contemplation nodded "Lieutenant, we are officially on Yellow Alert." he said, "On Screen please, magnify."

"Yes, sir. We are on Yellow Alert." Natasha replied as the main view screen of the bridge changed.

The Bridge crew analyzed it for a second, before the voice of the Captain returned once more. "Keep the shields down, we don't want to appear provocative. Data, what can you tell me about that ship?"

A brief affirmative was heard from Tactical as Data started to state. "Sir, it's volume is several times bigger than any vessel I've ever seen, I approximate around fourteen point five cubic kilometers, for any more in-depth scans we need to get a few light-years closer."

The captain simply nodded. "Worf, enter warp when ready. Data, open hailing Frequencies, all languages, all channels" he said and after composing himself exclaimed "This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S Enterprise representing the United Federation of Planets..."


	2. Chapter 1

_ System [Unknown] • A : G4-V 5834 K . 1-Ice : 37327 km 104K [III] . 2-Gas : 131172 km 48 K [XVII]_  
><em> Current Location : [200 Km] Asteroid Belt 4 - 2 - [IX]<em>

Humanity has always dreamed of venturing to the heavens, But one just simply can't comprehend that it can be such a vast, cold, and dark place. Our minds can't simply correlate our existence to the vastness of the universe around us. We live on a little placid island of ignorance bearing the entire human species among the vast void of infinity; Now more than ever I understood. The simple vastness of space.

My new existence simply showed me, the vastness, ungraspable nature of the universe. It is a humbling experience, just the local star clusters seemed to expand into infinity. And it scared me. It thrilled me. The unexplored, the unexpected, the unknown called for me. Yet I did not know where to start.

Fear started to feel my being, fear of the unknown, the oldest and strongest kind of fear mankind ever dealt with. I needed to leave the [Pod], I needed to know I was alive, that this was not simply a dream. I struggled, fought hopelessly against my bindings, yet it was not enough. But suddenly as my panicking mind started to lose itself on grief, a blinding moment of clarity usurped to the forefront of my mind. Unknown knowledge coursed trough my brain, surfacing like instincts long lost.

I woke up.

I groggily started to wake up. A welcome feeling of intense warmth being the first thing to greet me, and as my body slowly awoke, I relished in the feeling of energy returning to my previously limp body. Becoming slowly more coherent I noticed the liquid surrounding me - neuro-embryonic containment fluid, my mind supplied- draining from the tank I was currently laying in, the fact that until now I was breathing said liquid not bothering me at all. A few scants moments later, the transparent chamber top opened with a pneumatic hiss.

I slowly flexed a few of my muscles, they felt familiar, yet I knew this was the first time they were under my direct control. As strange as it was, this felt good.

Yet it did not take me a mere moment to find the first of many more surprises of the day, clearing my eyes of the strange liquid my first sight was a beautiful woman, garbed in what appeared to be a shoulder-less white jumpsuit and filled with think tattoos. In panic I almost bolted, yet she placed her gentle hands and started to talk to me.

"Master; Please be careful, you still are connected to the hydro-static chamber. It will take approximately two minutes and forty-two seconds for the dialysis, circulatory regulation, nutrient and calorie injection, and muscular stimulation systems to safely shut-down. Until then we can't safely attempt a disconnection."

At her words I simply blinked, unsure how to reply, my fuddled mind barely starting to work again. I wanted to reply, to say something. But instead my mind concentrated the still coming information of the vessel to the back of my mind. On sending the maddening stream of data to the background on off my mind.

A few minutes passed, and as the stated time came to an end another series of pneumatic hisses started to be heard. I felt the plugs on my spine dis-connect, an alien yet welcome feeling on this new body of mine. With my body free now, I tried to sit up, only to be immediately helped by said woman. This simply made me remember that she was there.

I must admit, at this moment I was not sure what to do, the surreality of the situation barely getting me. Being naked next to a strange woman barely rated as something to worry about on my mind compared to the fact that she was in a Spaceship. In a Spaceship I knew was empty of human life. In a Spaceship I knew was empty because I was the Spaceship. In a Spaceship.

So I simply accepted her help without worrying about the situation. And as she started to wipe off the rapidly evaporating layer of viscous thick fluid covering I decided to ask;

"Who are you?"

"My current designation is Excena zero-one-four-one-two." she replied, halting her actions for a few moments to perform a curtsy before continuing her task "I'm a ENF-42 type nurse caretaker drone, currently assigned to this automated intensive care unit."

I simply nodded as I started to flex my arms, roll my neck and generally stretching my muscles. It felt wonderful to be able to move again. It didn't even pass trough my mind the idea to not stand up, so I did. I almost fell over if It were not for Excena, her voice even taking a worried tone:

"Master, you should be more careful. Still If you are feeling unwell or have any discomfort don't hesitate and inform me please."

I just sighed and nodded, wondering for a second why did I stagger, I felt fine. Better than ever in fact. Strangely, it took me until now to notice the long blonde hair flowing on my face. I simply stared at it for a few seconds before my hands shot to my face. This was not my body. This was Levhitor's body.

Among all this chaos I had already concluded that I was a capsuleer, it was not a very big stretch of the Imagination after skimming trough all the data that was crammed in my mind. Yet even if changing my body was not exactly as traumatic as waking up as a Spaceship, it was still a small shock. With a rising feeling of dread I looked at the gynoid and asked: "Excena, Identify me please."

"Levhitor, Fabricator General of The Machine Cult.*" was her instantaneous reply.

As her words entered my mind, my heartbeat started to rise. A new sense of panic started to course trough my veins. Was I still me? Am I who I am? were some of the questions that passed trough my mind during this moments before Excena interrupted me with a gentle touch on my shoulder, a worried visage filling her face.

"Master, do you wish me to apply a anxyolitic?" she said, as her arm -what I believed where tattoos until now- started shifting, leaving place for a small compartment where she took out a small cylindrical device. "I understand the stress of waking up after dying the first few dozen times may produce stress, anxiety and a mild post-traumatic stress disorder"

I stared at her, and for a moment considered it, yet I quickly refused.

"Very well Master, If you feel fine I would reccomend that you rest a few hours before your next death." were her words as her tone changed and a smile appeared on her face.

I simply gaped.

Many strange things had already happened to me today, but they still hadn't been processed by my mind. Being one of my Eve Online Characters? That's weird. Having someone reccomend me to rest a few hours before dying with a smile on her face? The implications of being immortal just struck me directly to the face. I laughed.

I'm pretty sure I confused the gynoid a little with my small fit. But in the end, whatever body I inhabit. Wherever I am. I am still me. And I have a eternity to Live and Explore. Still... Even if my body was enhanced to feel better than I've ever had. If I remember correctly, the only reason Amarrian Capsuleers looked "old" was because of the culture respect for the elders.

"Nurse, when will be my next clone be ready?" I asked.

"You have four other Phi Grade clones as back-ups on this Clone Vat Bay with the designation Levhitor, with an extra five on each of the other 9 bays." I blinked, Capsuleers surely appreciated their redundancy. Not that I would take less.

"Excena, I just used a clone didn't I? When will this clone be replace?" I continued my query. At that her face lighted up.

"Oh, a blank clone shall be processed and ready inside the cortex constructors within the hour, may I inquire why do you need this information?"

I grinned -quite surprised by the efficiency of the clones production to be honest- even If I was now immortal I did not want to look old, I was barely in my twenties!

"Yes, could it be possible to change the appearance of the clone to make it look younger?"

The gynoid actually looked puzzled at me for a few moments. Yet after scant few seconds she Immediately proceed to push a button on the hydro-static chamber making a holographic display appear. It took her a not much more for her reply to come, with an affirmative.

"Make it so, and please help me get me some clothes" was my simple answer.

_

There was a subdued mood on the bridge of the Enterprise as minutes passed. The hum of the Enterprise warp drive dominating the bridge as it slowly faded to the lower thrum of the impulse engines that inched towards their destination.

"Captain, we are approaching the threshold needed for our sensors optimal performance." Data announced.

"Mr. Data, what can you tell us?" the voice of the captain echoed on the bridge.

"It's one of the strangest vessels I've encountered, sir," Data announced, fingers dancing over the console. "There is no specific bridge, I can't find any parallel to main engineering, in fact I can't identify any technology capable of interfacing with subspace."

"Life signs?" Picard asked.

"There are approximately seventy thousand three hundred and twenty eight life forms on that vessel" Data replied.

Captain Picard eyebrow raised in a very Vulcan manner as the numbers were listed. "Lieutenant Yar, what is it's alert status?"

"Sir, shields are down. I detect no weapons of any known design. In fact it appears that all but one of the Life-forms on that vessel are in some sort of cryogenic chamber."

Picard relaxed a little and moved to Ops, where data was seated. "Data, tell me everything you can about those people"

"Captain." he replied as his hands started dancing on his station, strangely, data posture now was straighter than usual; a sign he had found something interesting; "This appears to be a vessel of Human origin, Captain. There are several inscriptions on the outer hull based out of English. However, I'm not sure If I can call it's residents human anymore."

Picard hesitated for a moment, moving back to his chair before turning back to Data. "Please Elaborate."

"Yes, sir. From what I can detect there are three types of beings on that vessel. All of them are genetically modified, exact biological readings are difficult at the moment, but the most significant modification I can easily observe is an extra lobe on the brain. They've also had their entire Hippocamus, Thalamus, Brainstem and spinal cord replaced with some kind of cybernetics implants. It is astounding." Data opened his mouth to continue, but stopped himself for several moments, as he frenetically continued to tap his keyboard. "Sir, I hadn't noticed, but It appears that all those beings are clones, and furthermore I've discovered some kind of remote controlled neurotoxin applicator on their bodies."

"That's utter barbarity!" Lieutenant Yar exclaimed from tactical stealing everyone attention; "I'm sorry Captain!" she continued ashamed; "I'm sorry to Interrupt, but these... these beings are an Army. That ship is filled with resources to easily siege several planets and facilities to mass produce machines of war and clones!"

A few seconds passed in complete silence before the bridge filled itself of swears and exclamations. And among this chaos Captain Jean-Luc Picard face was simpley set on a grim frown as he inspected the vessel. He waited for a few seconds, letting the crew bent before exclaiming;

"Silence!" as his hand moved to massage his temples; "Data, what do you think of this mess?"

"I don't have sufficient information sir, I'm sorry."

Picard just sighed before continuing "Extrapolate please"

Data went stiff for a few seconds, trying to process whatever information he had on hand.

"Sir, considering that these people were once human it must have been one of the lost colonies or perhaps residents of an alternate universe. Yet for one of them to fall into genetic modification, cybernetic implants and dead-man switches to control an army... I would guess that they might be Augment descendants that survived and settled. The views and anthropological behavior of the augments is similar to those of the Kzinti further making the rumors of their mutual support surrounding this region more viable."

The captain pondered for a few seconds his course of action before continuing; "Worf, full stop, you have command. We shall wait for Commander Riker. Raise shields and move the civilians to the Saucer." The Captain moved to the turbolift "Everyone else, to the Battle Bridge, I'd rather be safe than sorry."

_* Yeah, I'm the CEO of a company named "The Machine Cult" in Eve Online. And my title is Fabricator-General [or sometimes Locum depending on what alt is cycling out of null]. In no way this is a Warhammer 40.000 crossover. Naming conventions of the Mechanicus might be used though; as Corp assets, hangars, fittings, ranks and wallets are obviously themed on the Mechanicus In-game, and that is being passed trough._


	3. Chapter 2

System [Unknown] • A : G4-V 5834 K . 1-Ice : 37327 km 104K [III] . 2-Gas : 131172 km 48 K [XVII]  
>Current Location : [200 Km] Asteroid Belt 4 - 2 - [IX]<p>

Their Arrival to Ophiuchi XII after The Enterprise rendezvoused with Shuttlecraft 8 had been uneventful, which in and of itself was unusual. The only highlight of the trip being Commander Riker reaction towards the unknown vessel.

Picard sat at the ready room of the battle bridge, nursing a cup of his favorite tea as the door chimed.

"Enter." The captain simply replied, analyzing again everything the sensors had been able to detect of the strange vessel. Meanwhile, Commander Riker glided up to the table and simply stood there until Picard looked up.

"You wanted to see me, Captain?" Riker said.

"Yes, I did. These sort of missions are always delicate, Number One. Considering that we are supposed to promote interstellar harmony, it's amazing how often these things can degenerate into acrimony and violence." The Captain took that moment to take a sip of his tea.

"But Cap-"

"We do not know who they are Number One. People overreact sometimes. If you were an ensign on custodial detail, that would be one thing. But when the second in command looks like he lost his best friend, well... crewmen get a little unnverved by that."

"I beg your pardon sir, but whomever they are, they are treating humans as Livestock, you must have read the report, what they do to others is simply barbaric!"

Picard hesitated a moment and then said. "I must admit, that their actions are quite unorthodox, they may be unethical to our beliefs. Yet do not forget that we can not judge this people by our standards, they are their own culture, they may just as well have their own beliefs."

Commander Riker crossed his arms as he replied "But sir, aren't cases like these, where we encounter those whom had been enslaved or were in a state of total stagnation good enough circumstances to break the Prime Directive?" Riker started pacing in the small office; "I just can't fathom the situation needed to justify a human life... thousands of human lifes as... disposable!"

"Commander!" Picard rapped for the commander attention; "I agree that we must watch ourselves on this one, Will. I really do." The captain said as he left his teacup on the table and started to massage his temples. "Everything appears to be going smoothly, but on the other hand we haven't been able to contact the vessel yet." at this, the Captain looked at the Commander eyes "Once we do though, things could change very drastically and we have to keep alert for anything vaguely out of the ordinary, that is why we are here on the battle bridge."

"If there is one thing I've learned, Captain. It's always to watch out for the unusual."

"So have we both, Number one. And we have learned through our experiences... sometimes painful ones. I'd like to avoid more."

"Sometimes, sir. No matter how cautious we are... things happen. And I got a feeling this is just the case."

Slowly Picard nodded as he took another sip of his tea. "Number One, never in a million years would I believe that you would lie to me. And sadly, this is something we must both reluctantly agree upon." Leaving the cup in his desk, Picard stood up; "Number One, we will be parking in a five hundred thousand kilometer orbit around the ship in eighteen minutes. Call a Conference, and just in-case, prepare an away team. "


	4. Chapter 3

System [Unknown] • A : G4-V 5834 K . 1-Ice : 37327 km 104K [III] . 2-Gas : 131172 km 48 K [XVII]  
>Current Location : [200 Km] Asteroid Belt 4 - 2 - [IX]<p>

"There is no more dangerous mission than first contact, we never know what we will encounter when we open the door. How we will be greeted, what exactly their reaction will be. We. do. not. know." were the words of Captain Jean-Luc Picard as he addressed the officers in the room.

Present on the conference room of the battle bridge were a variety of people, all the key staff of The Enterprise. Commander William Riker, second-in-command; Lieutenant Commander Data, second officer and operation manager; Lieutenant Natasha Yar, chief of security; Lieutenant Junior Grade Worf, flight control officer along Deanna Troi the ship's counselor and Dr. Beverly Crusher who served as chief medical officer.

All of them officers of high caliber. Frankly, they were among the very best in Starfleet.

"Centuries ago, disastrous first contact led to war with the Kinglon Empire," Picard stated gravely, making sure every single one understood the gravity of the situation; "So make to remember that we must measure our response carefully, or history may rememberOphiuchi XII as a bloody preamble to a war."

At this, the Captain kept his silence for a few moments before looking directly at Commander Riker; "And I must emphasize, before even thinking of engaging alien species in battle, any and all attempts to make first contact and achieve non-military resolution must be made."; The Captain took a moment to breath and massage his temples before continuing; "Normally, we learn as much as possible about the other party before we make First Contact, we monitor broadcasts signals, try to understand them as much as we can. This is something we lack, but at the very least have encountered enough information to get a preliminary idea. Now, report."

"Yes, sir," Date replied first, his posture getting stiffer as his only reaction, before he reached for a nearby Padd and started to recite; "At first, we assumed we were dealing with just a new Human contact, but as Dr. Crusher will inform you later, it appears this is not the case. The ship itself apparently is for all purposes a mobile starbase with vast industrial capacity. We have also encountered on their hull several marking on English, among them the name of the vessel, the Ark Mechanicus." leaving the Padd back on the table he simply continued; "That's all."

Picard merely nodded towards Dr. Crusher as she continued.

"My findings about this people has been particularly astounding, they are beyond our wildest dreams on Genetics and Cybernetics." the Doctor started, standing up to the nearby screen to start a presentation "From what we have gathered so far we are dealing with not only heavily enhanced humans, but also a species of androids, varying in size and complexity, whom contain biological material. We have also detected a series of enormous morgues on the premises. From what I could observe, these people harvest the dead to use for bio-mass at their cloning processing facilities or for said android manufacture. They certainly do great things, terrible, but certainly great."

Silence dominated the room for a few moment after hearing said words, interrupted only by a question from Commander Riker; "Could we be dealing with an off-shoot of the Augments? I certainly sense the similarity, they may just be remnant of times long pass; genetically engineered humans made to be superior on a world of strife and later exiled to the farthest reaches of space."

The Dr. sighed, and gave a second glance at the information before continuing; "I do not know." at this, the screen she was pointing at changed into a representation of two human bodies side by size; "It certainly looks human for all that matters, but beyond that the differences end. They have been modified to acquire an extra lobe on their brain whom function I can't begin to imagine. Something that no augment before was reported to have, but beyond that their capacities may just as well be beyond anything we could have made. They have been using this technology for quite a long time to get to this level, I assure you."

"Do you believe the reported aggressive behavior reported to be natural on the augments will be present with these beings?" Natasha interrupted.

The Doctor merely caressing her chin for a few seconds; "I can not be sure, but there has never been a report of augments without increased aggressive behavior and lack of flight instinct, it could be a good precaution to theorize that; yes it is a possibility."

Natasha merely nodded, as the Captain looked at the Doctor; "Is that all you can tell us?"

"Sadly yes, there is not much to analyze at these distances and with so little time."

Once again, the Captain nodded and looked at Natasha "Lieutenant, since you are so eager, report,"

The Lieutenant nodded with a grim frown in her face; "There is no doubt sir, it's a military vessel. I can not detect any known weapon upon itself, but there are several ships docked within it whom might do. Furthermore there is a veritable army in there, with enough resources to comfortably siege and take several planets, Including thousands of crafts and weapons."

The previous silence returned once again for a few moments, before the Captain continued "Anyone has anything else to say?" The Captain asked, looking around the table; Councillor Deanna Troi being one to answer.

"Captain, I'm sorry for not bringing this earlier, but the ship, it feels alive." the Betazoid said, concentrating once again in her powers; "Most of their minds, they feel connected, interwoven with each other and merging in a nexus, reaching a state of harmony I rarely have seen before."

The Captain nodded, pondering a moment upon this fact. "So we may be dealing with a Hivemind of sorts? a Collective?" he muttered to himself. "Anyway, we've tried hailing them with all means, and from what we can gather, most of the crew might just as well be on stasis"

Sighing, he looked back to his officers; "I have been part of 25 First Contact situations, all of them successful, and if there is one Ideal that the Federation holds most dear, it is that all men, all races can be united." at this the captain stood up; "Commander Riker, you have Command, I will personally lead first contact." With one last glance at everyone he continued; "Councilor, Dr. Crusher, Worf, meet me at transporter room one."

"Dismissed"

A chorus of affirmatives were heard across the room, the Captain and his team proceeding quickly to the bridge.

"Number One, take us to a relative stop at forty thousand kilometers." Picard ordered on his way.

"Sir, are you sure you want to go there?"

"No offense Number One, but this task will require the subtle touch of diplomacy, something I have more experience than you. I certainly believe this is the best choice."

The commander simply nodded as he watched the away team head towards the turbo-lift.

After a few minutes , on another deck a simple word was heard "Energize."

_

After about ten minutes of walking peacefully trough the hallways of the Capsuleers residential area of the ship, I finally found it. A heavy set of doors, the only doors with any kind of markings on this deck. "Fabricator-General, Levhitor" were their inscriptions, those words cementing my new reality further into my mind. And as I stared at the door I started to reflect on the situation leading to this. Let me tell you, it's a bad Idea to try to take away the job of a caretaker drone.

After asking the gynoid for help acquiring some clothes she led me trough few of the sterilized Clone Vat Bay hallways into one of the Capsuleers "receiving" area (a very luxurious room consisting of what practically amounts to small Spa) where she started to strip -and let me tell you, for being an Android she looks quite human- and from there my problems started.

Arguing with her that it was not needed, was futile. Apparently it was impossible for her to understand the concept of a Capsuleer allowing himself to be seen along anyone garbed on a medical jumpsuit outside the Clone bay. Or the fact that modesty was a thing. Or the fact that I did not require her help bathing myself. Further attempts of trying to explain said concepts to her only confused her, and when I told her I did not want or needed her to help me... she looked so sad, so broken. I felt like I just kicked a kitten. I simply could not say no to her.

She did not let me do anything, from starting up the water, to applying a shampoo and facial on me. I'm quite sure the complete spa treatment is not even remotely standard, and frankly, It was quite an awkward experience for me. But It was relaxing, and if nothing else it helped me soothe the still streaming voices in the recesses of mind and made Excena quite happy by being needed.

I actually lost myself in the bubbles of the Jacuzzi for quite a while, but as much as I wanted too, I simply could not stay there forever and -with Excena's help of course- I got out, got dried, and proceed to get clothed on one the most garish and extravagant piece of clothes I've ever seen. It consisted of a red and golden robes ensemble, filled with gems and extravagant gold embroidery, while the gynoid clothed herself on a more discreet maroon and golden military dress uniform.

After that, I was promptly informed that I activated my clone on the bow of the ship and that my quarters -along the bed with all required instruments to keep this body alive should I decide leave it- were on the upper aft viewing halls.

I decided to pay my quarters a visit, maybe that would help me get some clue to what was going on.

I asked Excena to guide me, and she happily complied. We started walking trough a maze of corridors and hallways, and let me tell you, for being a ship devoid of human life it did not feel that empty. Drone bugs, apparently the small janitors of the inner ship, where always on sight. And as we walked I could clearly see different types of androids every once in a while, from clearly humanoid ones to patrolling camera drones and damage control MTACs -enormous heavy-duty droids- It was quite overwhelming.

It didn't take us long, and probably would have been way faster If I hadn't stared and ask questions about everything like a six year old. But to be honest, my mind was going places. In the end we arrived to a small docking berth were a few dozen of small shuttles were docked at. It hadn't come to my mind, this place was a few kilometers long. Still, in a few minutes of flying we arrived to the Capsuleer Residential section.

"Master, sorry to interrupt you, but my systems tell me your body should need nourishment soon. Would you mind if I go fetch something from the kitchens for you?" The voice of the gynoid broke my introspection.

I blinked for a second.

"Sure, go ahead, I will be on my quarters." I said, my hands already moving into the terminal next to the door so that they could be opened. I was not sure how I knew the access codes, yet I did. And it bothered me. My hands proceed to introduce said password leaving way into my quarters.

"Damn."

My "Quarters" were easily the size of a big house, a lavishly decorated place to be sure. But what got my attention was not the room itself, but the giant window covering most of the room. They view was captivating. One of the systems planets was in clear view, in all it's majestic beauty. It was quite intoxicating, the euphoria of being what I was coming back to me. At that moment, I knew not what got into me, I just knew that I wanted to go back to the Pod, I wanted to see and experience the Universe once again on all it's glory.

Giving a glance to the room, it took me mere but a second to locate my destiny and head towards it, the hidden knowledge surfacing once again to the surface of my mind and taking control of my actions.

"Aura, prepare the stasis chamber. I'm jumping in."

"..."

No reply came, and according to my mind that is not normal. Running to the nearest terminal I activated a holoscreen and ran a diagnostics scan. Surprisingly, Aura, the ship's AI was offline. It took me a mere few moments to interface directly with the ship and start her process again.

"Sir, are you aware our shields are off-line and that there is a unknown battle-cruiser on-grid?" were her first witty words just as her headmaterialized next to mine from some nearby holo-emitters. Dread filled me as I realized what a un-shielded, lone Rorqual would look like to any Capsuleer. I did not care about my body. Immediately, I Jumped, ignoring the strange chiming sound appearing on my room.


	5. Chapter 4

System [Unknown] • A : G4-V 5834 K . 1-Ice : 37327 km 104K [III] . 2-Gas : 131172 km 48 K [XVII]

Current Location : G4-V - 5934 km

"Enterprise, Medical Emergency!" were the first words said as the Away Team started first contact, for not only did their target fall down when they beamed into his quarters, but the Councelor herself fell down whimpering and clutching her head.

"Data, check the councilor, I will see to our host!" Captain Jean-Luc Picard exclaimed, running towards the fallen body, just in time for an overlooked voice to exclaim in curiosity;

"How did you get here?" the voice of Aura reverberated in the room in clear Standard, a sense of curiosity emanating from the AI. At that the Captain stopped in his tracks, just now noticing that the floating head was a being unto itself.

"Please, don't be alarmed at our appearance. We mean no harm." The captain immediately said, raising his hands in an a symbol of surrender and to show that he was unarmed; "My name is Jean-Luc Picard. These are my associates, Deanna Troi and Data." And taking a quick glance to said associates, noticing that Data was now helping Deanna stand up; "We come in peace, and we would like to help your companion, he needs medical assistance!"

Aura's head merely tilted to the side "It's just a standard clone, do not mind it." The AI said, not even bothering to glance at the body; "I must insist, how did you board the ship directly into the General's quarters? It is a breach of security I must immediately fix."

"He is still a human being!" Picard exclaimed, not bothering with pleasantries and running towards the fallen body; "Enterprise! We have an Medical Emergency!" He exclaimed once again into his badge, quickly crouching down to make sure the man's tongue wasn't obstructing his throat and to check for his condition.

"Sir, the Enterprise is not answering, It appears we are being jammed." was Data's addition to the conversation, his arms holding the whimpering councilor.

Meanwhile, Aura's face stayed frozen in a smile for a few moments, until a reverberating series of constants thumps could be heard just outside the (now open) door. A pair of MTACs - Heavy Duty Industrial drones - quickly entered the room as an impromptu security force sealing the door with their passing.

"I must Insist." was her simple reply. One of the drones taking a position on the door, the other advancing towards the away team. "Please move away from the body and join your companions."; the woman's voice echoed, as Picard hesitatingly backed away from the body; "You will answer my questions, there is no point to resistance. If you do not comply you will be processed into the Trans-neural brain scanners and your knowledge will be assimilated."

"We beamed over! My people have mastered matter-energy conversion and transportation." Picard exclaimed to the hologram; "We mean you no harm! We only want to help and that man requires medical attention, we can help if you allow us!"

"That is not necessary. You will be escorted to our holding facilities and wait for the Fabricator-General to decide your fate once he desires." At this, the mining lasers on the MTACs revved up briefly, a wave of intense heat clearly hitting the Away Team; "If you attempt to leave, or make any suspicions movement, you will be terminated. Thank you." and just as she finished the sentence the AI hologram vanished.

A few moments of a heavy silence filled the room, interrupted by the Captain as he looked back to his companions with worry; "Data, try to contact the Enterprise." Picard whispered to the Droid, a small nod the only answer, as he gently took the woman from his arms "Councilor, are you alright? What is the problem"

"S-Sir... The v-voices sir..." she answered slowly; "I wasn't ready sir! The ship is not only alive, but there are hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of voices in the walls!"

"What do you mean Deanna, what voices?" Picard asking holding her steady as she whimpered one more time.

"I've never heard something more clearly Sir, before this I did not believe I could. The dead roam these walls! They are shouting at me, screaming and wailing to get out, to not interfere!" The Betazoid exclaimed, suddenly hugging the Captain. "They are blocking my abilities sir, They are overwhelming me! I do not believe; I am sure I can not handle it for long..."

The Captain sighed, accepting the hug, noticing the start of a trail of tears on the Counselor face before sharply turning to Data; "Any progress?"

"No sir, I can't reach the Enterprise, It's almost like she suddenly disappeared."

The Captain nodded grimly, attempting to reply "Data, pr-" just as the heavy doors of the room opened, the pneumatic hiss and movement of the mechanical behemoth interrupting the Captain's voice, leaving place for -what looked like- a beautiful exotic woman robed in a military garb. That promptly headed towards the body at a sedate pace, a clear pout on her face.

"Oh, come on..." the woman muttered loudly as she crouched down to inspect the man, inspecting his -open- eyes and moving her hands trough the body, in the end her answer being a simple sigh. "And we just activated it..."

"Is he fine?" Picard dared to ask, worried about the fate of the man.

"Umh?" The woman voiced, just now giving note to the huddled up intruders, wondering for a moment if she should answer before deciding it would do no harm; "It has a concussion and a very nasty hit on it's head that is bleeding, quite a waste to be honest."

Picard left out a breath, at the very least they had not gave the man a heart attack, that would have completely soured the relationships with these people. If anything, he hoped that the so called Fabricator-General may be more reasonable than the last being.

"Miss, why are you disrobing him?" The voice of Data interrupted his thoughts, as he changed his grip on the Counselor to use a single arm and saw that certainly, the woman was disrobing the man.

"These are an excellent set of clothes, It would be a waste to reprocess them." she answered in lackadaisical manner; "Besides, I need to access the spinal conduits to terminate the clone."

At that declaration even Data blinked; "What do you mean, when you say terminate?!" the Captain exclaimed sharply.

The woman simply looked at them and recited; "The cessation of all vital functions especially as indicated by permanent stoppage of the heart, respiration, and brain activity, what else could it mean?"

"You can't do that!" Picard exclaimed hotly, only stopped by a sudden hiss, created by the change of posture of one of the MTACs. At this the Captain flinched, and took a second to regain his composure once more.

"Why would you... terminate... the man" Picard said, disgust filling his mind at the nonchalant use of the term.

"Why would I leave a damaged clone laying around when It is easier awake a new one?" the woman said as she finished dis-robing the body and started to neatly fold the clothes. ; "It's just a clone." she added condescendingly

"Ma'am, they say that one mark of sentience is the resistance to one's own destruction, something all live beings share. Do you not believe that he should given a choice? I assure you, if you allow us to treat him on our ships we can fix any health defects he has developed, there is no need to... waste useful resources" Data said from his position behind the Captain.

Finishing folding the clothes, the woman moved back to the body; "Oh, you do not need to worry. There is rarely a lack of high-grade biomass on the ship." Finishing those words, one of her fingers started to open upon itself, leaving a mess of steel and cables that were promptly inserted into one of the metal sockets on the man's naked back; "Besides, I'm quite sure the General would rather avoid having to deal with a damaged clone, It's not like It can't be easily replaced." This sentence was finished as,in a feat of superior strength than her frame suggested, the woman lifted and threw the -now death- body carelessly into a nearby floating table that proceeded to leave the room.

Looking back at the intruders, the woman smiled; "Now, would you kindly cooperate please?"


	6. Chapter 5

_ System [Unknown] • A : G4-V 5834 K . 1-Ice : 37327 km 104K [III] . 2-Gas : 131172 km 48 K [XVII]_  
><em> Current Location : G4-V - 5934 km<em>

Darkness overcame my being for a mere fraction of a second, yet it felt just like an eternity. Most spaceships were crewed by enormous amounts of expert and highly trained individuals, however, as an Empyrean; My mind, my body itself transcended humanity and gave me the ability to easily handle the enormous flow of information. The chorus in my head rejoiced as I felt the neural interface start up once again.  
><em><strong>You are an Empyrean. You are a God. Embrace your Divine Nature.<strong>_  
>And as I connected once again, my mind clock-speed accelerated to match the incoming flow of information. Exabytes of data passing each second through my quantum processors, easily parsed by my accelerated brain. This time, the increasing flow of information did not startle me, and as much as I wanted to simply sit and enjoy the experience, I had other issues.<br>_**Watch for the Coming of the Ark, for within it, salvation is carried.**_  
>My senses expanded themselves, not bothering to launch a camera drone I relied on my sensor telemetry to get a grasp of the situation. A Battle-Cruiser sized ship; forty thousand kilometers away, relative stop. No Offensive actions, probably waiting for a Heavy Interdictor to tackle me. I cloaked and aligned towards the Sun immediately. Strangely, It felt ingrained, like second nature, like something I've done hundreds of time before.<br>_**Your Wrath is Immense. Your Justice is Swift and Decisive. Your Tolerance is Limited.**_  
>"We got three boarders?" Aura notified me immediately, merely but a few seconds had passed since I boarded my [Pod]. My attention suddenly shifted towards my internals insides, and her words were confirmed. Two life-signs and a unaffiliated drone. Mere mortals kilometers away from any important systems. "Take them to the brig, I will address the issue later." I had more important things to do.<br>_**Casting his sig **_-No..-_** is realm, the Lord witnessed those who serve Him. **_-Stop...-_**e him, For all things under the Heavens serve one higher.**_  
>The Battle-cruiser had not attempted to de-cloak me, nor even moved at all. Quite the Curiosity. The voices called to me again, my speed already reaching as far as I could go while cloaked. I needed to take their attention away from me. I needed to send a message. Seconds after I de-cloaked five fighters left my hangar bays and my shields roared as I forced them to pass their limits. My Invulnerability Field and other Shield Hardeners turned on, my Shield Boosters started to cycle, and I warped.<br>**_There will be nei_**- Wa..-**_ mpassion nor mercy; nor peace, nor solace fo_**-Wait...-**_se who bear witne_**-WAIT-**_to thy Divine Nat_**-STOP-**_nd still do not believe. _**-STOP!-  
>If I could I would have clutched my head and screamed in anger; thoughts that were not mine were coursing trough my brain. Visions of places I've never met, Ideologies of people I've only imagined before. The voices of <em>The Others<em> influencing my every action, whispering to me how to Pilot the ship and do tasks that I've never conceived before.  
><em><strong>Five One Four, what was many now becomes one when one becomes four.<strong>_  
>Red filled my vision, anger surged from my being and willed the voices to go back to the depths of my mind, to leave me be. To stop influencing my thoughts.<p>

Silence. Even if it was a mere brief respite, my mind was finally clear. And it was not a pleasant experience; It was but for a few minutes but I had certainly felt like a Empy- a Capsuleer. The lack of empathy, the lack of care for human life... it was monstrous. And it scared me how easy it was to think like that.

I hadn't cared. It didn't even pass through my mind that since I arrived I have already felt twice my life ripped away from my body. And it was intoxicating, feeling my consciousness light up into existence again, as if the laws of life and death did not apply to me. As if I were being born again, unbeholden to the principles that bind the mere mortals of this universe.

This gift was as much a blessing as it was a burden, it disconnected me from reality and made me believe that I was a being that exists in a realm all my own. Power corrupts indeed, and it certainly does it faster with voices whispering in my head.

As I pondered this, I immediately came the realization that I just attacked a ship for -if nothing else- the fact that It existed. It didn't take me more than a nanosecond for me to recall the fighters. After that I quickly confirmed through the fighter sensors that the ship wasn't destroyed and, in fact the fighters were actually following the ship at warp speed while taking potshots. They would briefly disengage and come back.

Now, while some semblance of clarity remained I needed to deal with the boarders now; I'd rather avoid making them into clone goo without noticing. My attention shifted towards myself, and with certainty they quickly informed me of said prisoners location in the brig.

Those Uniforms, Those Faces. This will be a long day...

I blame Q. 

Picard and the Counselor were huddled on a corner of the bare metallic room while Data stood attentively keeping guard. I needed to calm this situation down, and if possible get the Captain to my side. But I could not coddle them either, they _did_ board me, and I'd rather not appear like a groveling mortal after it insulted his betters. Sighing, I sent some orders to Excena (I think I will keep that droid for myself), moved the MTACs away from the cell and started my plans.  
><em>From this high rock, from this peak, let the light of worship shine on this heretic land.<em>  
>"Captain Jean-Luc Picard" I announced myself suddenly appearing in the middle of their holding cell, " I am sorry for the greeting party, but we do not normally receive boarders warmly, if you will accompany me we can move to more pleasant room and cordially discuss what happened."<p>

Picard warily watched me as unsaid word passed between the Enterprise crew-members; "I... Agree. We obviously started this incorrectly, and I believe we can end this Incident with a peaceful resolution."

"Follow me, please" I replied just as they stood up, my hologram hovering slowly to a nearby conference room.

"May I inquire to whom we are talking to?" The voice of the android, of Data, announced. The Captain simply kept walking, for some reason aiding the Counselor on her way.  
><em><strong>What was many now becomes one when one becomes four. You are Us, We are You.<strong>_  
>"Of course, I am -" The chorus suddenly came back, stronger than ever, and for a single moment I felt as a mere puppet, hopelessly pulled by the strings of a puppet-master.<br>_**You are Us, We are You! Your Identity shall not be denied!**_  
>"Levhitor, Empyrean, Fabricator-General of the Machine Cult." Words not my own came forth from my mouth, and just as quick as they came my will surged. Quickly overpowering the bellows and sending them once again to the furthest corner of my mind. Thankfully, this all happened within my brain, the hologram not showing any signs of my chagrin.<p>

Few moments passed after that in silence until we arrived to our destination, a small cozy conference room. Excena was already waiting inside with a floating tray by her side.

"I've arranged for tea to be prepared, It's quite a magnificent Udorian blend. Quite bold and a little bitter if you drink it plain, but it can be sweetened if necessary." Sitting down on the head of the table I waited for the others to do the same and Excena to serve the tea.

"Thanks you, Fabricator General" Picard licked his lips, cleared his throat, and started. "As you may have already been told, I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard, commander of the Starship_Enterprise_. I represent the United Federation of Planets...-"

"-and these are my companions, Counselor Deanna Troi and Lieutenant Commander Data." Picard said, taking the offered cup, smelling it's fragrance and giving a quick sip. It was possible the ship's crew wasn't especially warlike, after all if he had boarders in the Enterprise he would have replied in a similar manner. But in the captain's experience, vessels didn't bristle with weaponry unless their occupants were eager to use it. And If for nothing else, he should accept their host hospitality and not risk committing a cultural _faux pas _and risk their ire. The tea_was good,_ though.

The Captain considered Fabricator-General Levhitor. This so called Empyrean. For a moment Picard wondered if his human appearance was his real one, or if he was just being hospitable. Still, Picard knew he had to attempt to achieve a peaceful solution, their disregard for life was already clear and he would rather be on the Enterprise along the others as soon as possible. Obviously this being wasn't one to beat around the bush.

But then, neither was the captain of the Enterprise.

"I must admit, that we may have erred by beaming up directly into the ship" there was doubt in Picard's voice, notable in that anything approaching humility was a rarity for Picard. "but we have been hailing your vessel for several hours. You appearance inside the Kzinti demilitarized zone with a heavily armed vessel could not be simply ignored. I would like to ask your intentions in this area, and for you to return our communicators so that we can contact the Enterprise before our actions lead to Violence."

Dammit, a Capital military-industrial complex must surely be making Starfleet anxious... especially since I am in a DMZ. And I just attacked the Enterprise. This is way worse than I tough, _I needed _to calm the situation down; "I am sorry. But it seems It's to late for that."

"What do you mean!" Picard exclaimed immediately, his expression clearly intimating that he had much more to say, but that he was holding back out.

My hologram simply replied in unfazed monotone; "The moment you arrived, I detected a battle-cruiser sending strange energy emissions toward my un-shielded ship. As you might guess I immediately reacted. I cloaked and warped away, but I sent a flight of Fighters to keep them busy for a few moments."

Picard fell silent for a lingering moment, then looked directly at his companions. "What is the status of our ship?"

"It was not destroyed, and my sensors still detect it within the system. I can assure you, the damage was minimal."

_

Commander William T. Riker had never felt quite as helpless as he did now.

His place was not on the Bridge when the Captain was in danger. He should have insisted to go instead. But he knew he did not have the diplomatic touch the Captain had. The moment the Captain energized the unknown ship cloaked. All the sensors of the Enterprise were frantically searching both the ship and the Away Team comms badges, yet they were unable.

Lieutenant Yar report was a mixture of businesslike response and astonishment as she noticed the six new contacts appearing on the screen out of nowhere. "Commander, five new contacts, runabout analogue... they are firing on us, s—" And then, going up an octave in alarm; "Captain! Energy readings off the scales! It—"

Before she could get the rest of it out, the deck pitched wildly beneath them. It sent the Lieutenant staggering into the auxiliary conns. And as she disengaged herself from there, the ship lurched again—even worse than before.

"Evasive maneuvers!" shouted Riker through the havoc. "Tactic alpha theta!" the commander barked, complementing Worf's instructions. Then he turned to his tactical officer. "Lieutenant Yar, report!"

The woman quickly hurried to her station and studied the monitors. "We've taken hits to decks seven, eight, thirteen, and fifteen, sir. Shields down . . ." Her eyes narrowed in disbelief. ". . . eighty-nine percent!"

At engineering, Geordi didn't know where to look first. He had a fleeting wish his visor had an "off" switch. "Forward and starboard deflectors out! Circuit overloads! We won't hold any longer!"

The next impact was felt throughout the entire ship, as if a massive fissure in space had just opened up and the _Enterprise_ had fallen in. Riker, gripping the side of the command chair, imagined he heard the screams of civilians throughout the ship.

"Mister La Forge! Everything to the Engines!"

"We're at full thrust," said the assistant engineer. "We're in trouble."

"What else is new?" said Geordi frantically typing in his station to get every bit of extra power.

"Separation?!" asked Yar.

"No time, Lieutenant. Besides, I doubt they would be sporting enough to let them go." Riker announced. "Arm the phasers, fire when ready!"

Four ruby-red beams lanced out of the enterprise, the four striking one of the fighters.

"Several direct hits," Natasha Yar reported. "But they don't seem to have had much effect. We barely put a dent in their shields."

Riker was tempted to fire again, but decided against it. Cursing on his mind he turned to Natasha. "Run an analysis of their shielding, Lieutenant. Let's see if there are any weak spots."

As the woman got to work, the commander glanced at Worf. "Let's give them a different look to contend with. Pattern delta five, Lieutenant."

"Aye, sir," said Worf as he began a new set of maneuvers . . . just as the fighters unleashed another savage barrage. Most of it slid by them into the void, but a blast caught the edge of the saucer section.

Suddenly, the bridge skewed hard to port, forcing Riker to grab his chair or be thrown to the floor. At the same time, one of the aft control panels erupted in a geyser of sparks. Immediately, a crewman grabbed a fire extinguisher and played it over the panel.

"Shields are gone, sir!" an Ensign called out.

Feeling his jaw muscles flutter, Riker turned and eyed the viewscreen with renewed resolve. "Where's my analysis, Lieutenant!?"

"I am almost finished," the woman replied. A moment later, she exclaimed "Sir, the overall toughness of the enemy shields comes at the expense of some weak spots, it seems their shields only block a certain percentage of the incoming damage... as they are there is no much we can do to exploit that vulnerability.

But the Commander wasn't about to let up. Not when the next barrage might be the one that destroyed the _Enterprise_.

"Fire phasers and photon torpedoes, maximum yield, maximum spread, Fire!" he commanded.

Again, four phaser beams pierced one of the enemies shields, this time in conjunction with a barrage of photon torpedoes. This elicited a brilliant energy outbursts. But when the viewscreen cleared, Riker could see that even after having pierced the shielding of one of the fighters, the armor was badly charred, but intact.

The Fighters were already striking back. A fierce, green light blanched out the viewscreen for a moment. Then the _Enterprise_ was punished with the most devastating barrage yet.

The commander was catapulted forward, flipping end over end. He hit a bulkhead with such force he felt himself black out for a moment. When he came to, the taste of blood strong in his mouth, he took stock of his bridge.

The lights, still tinted by the red alert, were flickering on and off almost hypnotically. Two more of the aft consoles had exploded and were spewing sparks. And his people were strewn all over the place.


	7. Chapter 6

System [Unknown] • A : G4-V 5834 K . 1-Ice : 37327 km 104K [III] . 2-Gas : 131172 km 48 K [XVII]  
>Current Location : G4-V - 5934 km<p>

Picard mind was filled with dread, and a growing feeling of contempt as he heard the words of this being. He was just notified that their host had opened fire upon the Enterprise, and the worst part of it was that when Picard looked into the being eyes, they reminded him of a shark. They regarded him, and all the other beings, with an air that clearly indicated that he didn't care whether they lived or died. And those eyes had set his ship and crew as a target.

One of the key challenges Picard had always encountered during his travels, even with the existence of Universal Translators was communication. Talking was but a mere part of it, customs, body language, and many other idiosyncrasies could accessorize a method of communication. And right now, all he could think was about his responsibility as the Captain of the Enterprise. He usually was more cautious that this, his youthful recklessness normally tempered by wisdom. He should have taken this more slowly. As he said himself, one never knew what one might encounter on a First Contact. Right now -as human as he appeared- he had no basis to know how to talk with this being. To make sure the Enterprise and all the families within it were safe and would continue to do so.

"Fabricator General, may I request that you give us back our Communicators?"

"Of course" The being simply replied, his expression unchanging eerily as the woman that served them tea, and previously killed that man, returned them their possessions without delay and a smile on her face. Eagerly taking the communicator and clipping it back to his chest Picard looked to their host.

"May I communicate with my vessel?" he asked. The Fabricator-General, simply nodded. Picard merely replying a polite "Thank you", before pushing the communicator and stating "Picard to the Enterprise, Do you read me?" No answer was given, and as Picard turned to Data the android quickly stated.

"Whatever was jamming our communications is not affecting them anymore. The Enterprise is near, they are simply not answering."

Picard's mind at the moment was filled with many possibilities. From a simple malfunction of their comm's to the destruction of the Enterprise. It was not pleasant. And glancing at his side, he remembered if anything it was worse for Counselor Troi.

"We shall wait a few minutes data," Picard said with a bit of bitterness. "After all they are just coming out of a combat situation." Glancing back to their host, Picard decided to ask, "Fabricator-General, until we can contact the Enterprise and start to negotiate an agreement mutually beneficial to both parties; I must ask your help." He said taking one of the Councilor hands and squeezing them "Councilor Troi here, is a empath from a race called Betazoids, and since the moment we arrived at this ship her mind has been assaulted by the ship itself. Is there anything you can do to help ease her pain?"

The being soul-less eyes stared back.

_

My mind started to process the words Picard said, and to my knowledge, there was nothing that could cause that. But that was exactly the problem, it was to my knowledge.

At this moment I decided to look at the councilor. When I inspected my memories, when I looked clearly beyond a glance I could easily see the pain of the Betazoid. If I could I would have sighed. As much as It pains me, I have a helping-people thing, and this woman needed something only I could give.

Concentrating upon myself and hardening my will. I let the voices engulf me.

Ah.

Psychomancy.

A gift only few of the residents of New Eden possessed. A gift I had been drowning with sheer willpower along the voice of the others.

This time I opened my mind and let the presence of a chorus of uncountable voices embrace me. The Machine Spirits, the Rust Ghost. The voices of the hundreds , of millions of people and drones that live and die along their ships. The memories of the fallen that stay behind in the scraps of metals of their derelict ships until they are salvaged. Now living within each of scrap of metal that now composes my ship, with only one purpose. To help their living Kin, to do everything in their power to not let their crew suffer as they did.

The Idea of the Machine Cult, until now had been ridiculous. The Idea of saying thanks to your ship and blessing it's missiles absurd. But now, it came to me the realization that as much as I wanted to say it was just a joke, to just deny they existed. The least I could do every-time I loaded a missile was saying thanks to the souls that not only composed it, but were willing to push themselves to their out most potential for your sake even knowing they would soon cease to exist.

Still, I needed to concentrate. I needed to do something simple, to tell the ship that Deanna was -even if grudgingly- welcome.

I could feel the ship itself filled with righteous fury over the boarders. And as much as my simple will did, it was not enough. Most of the Machine Spirits abandoned their barrage, but the most tenacious of the sort would not hear me. They whispered to my ear how Blood Raiders and Sansha boarders took their ship, how they would not let anyone board this ship and not regret doing so.

'Anima Mechanica, Desino ut statim! Sit haec requies in terra vestra suscipiant!' I exclaimed in tongues, my intent clear. To let the woman rest. Yet only some of the spirits could let go. The one that were left simply to stubborn to abandon their cause.

At this, for once I found the others agreeing with me. As much as the Machine Spirits helped me, and the ship. I was their Master. With help from untold experiences inside my head I expanded my Psychokinetic senses from my sense of self, from my ship.

And I embraced the Counselor, clearly stating that if they wanted to continue, they would have to go trough me.

_

Deanna Troi had been tuning out reality while everyone was talking, but she was only half listening as she sank into a black pit of grief and fury. 'I can't go through this, I can't endure.' She thought while she shut her eyes against the cold light of the room while conversation continued around her. Her emphatic senses felt protective wrath pulsing in waves from the ship itself. A Fury channeled by millions of beings, all with the intention of shutting her down. Numb from all the pain and anger, she felt a desire to scream and the impulse to retreat to someplace dark and quite and simply hide for weeks on end.

Troi felt as they moved to somewhere else, as the Captain comforted her and tried to help her in anyway she could. All Troi could muster in response to his queries was a tiny nod of her chin as she huddled into herself even further.

Troi weakly slumped in her chair as she cast her forlorn gaze at the walls, desperate to be out of this hideous place. It was a horrible experience. Burning tears welled in Troi's eyes, and her throat seized shut on a knot of sorrow and grief.

Suddenly she heard a powerful presence, shouting to the four winds that It would be no more, and certainly the voices faltered. The pain lessened, but there was still some resistance. The sight of endless acts of barbarism, of what boarders could do to the ship if the presence persisted resonated clearly to her senses. The nature of a completely alien universe echoed on her mind.

But it did not falter, and instead her world brightened. The Fury and Wrath channeled towards her dissipated immediately, and left behind something more. At that moment she finally felt as if everything was going to be fine. She felt the reassurance of a familiar hand on her skin, a kind and loving gesture, a subtle encouragement, a loving embrace, an offer of comfort. The voices didn't left her either. They welcomed her, they embraced her and attempted to do anything they could to help her feel better in contrast to her previous torment.

Councilor Deanna Troi lost herself in utter ecstasy as her world was once turned over. But even among the turmoil of her mind, one thing was clear to her. Whoever helped her, the presence that was embracing her meant them no harm.

'Thank you' she sent as her consciousness faded into the darkness with a smile.

"It is done." The Empyrean said, after staring to them for several moment with his unsettling un-blinking orbs.

Picard nodded and glanced back to Troi. He could see that her stance had clearly relaxed, and in fact she appeared to have fallen asleep. Cautiously giving a glance back to their host in case he considered it an insult, he found nothing new on his unchanging face.

"If you will allow us, I can move the Councilor to the adjoining guest quarters, she will be more comfortable there." the voice of the woman interrupted his thoughts. Looking back at his companions he nodded.

"Data, go with Counselor Troi and Miss..." at that Picard glanced at the woman, suddenly remembering she never introduced herself.

"Excena zero-one-four-one-two." she interrupted; "a ENF-42 caretaker drone, don't worry she will be on fine hands."

Raising an eyebrow, Picard continued "Miss Excena, and keep trying to contact the Enterprise. When you do Immediately come to me."

"Yes, sir." Was Data reply as they moved out. The gynoid gently picked up the Counselor in a bridal carry before both androids left the room.

Waiting a few moments to regain his composure now that the Counselor was as safe as she could be, Picard took another sip of the tea; "Now, there is time for pleasantries, and time for business. I really appreciate that we are not doing this on a interrogation room and that you helped Counselor Troi. However I must ask again, what's your intention in this area and why did you attack the Enterprise."

"I have no Idea how I arrived to this place, and my only intentions are to survive." I answered truthfully. "As for your ship... You must see it from my situation. How would you act if you suddenly woke up and found an hostile battle-cruiser next to you? Sending a boarding party furthermore?"

"And that is excuse enough to attack my ship? You should have attempted to open a communications channel with us before resorting to violence! Children and Families live on the Enterprise, there was no reason to attack." Picard exclaimed with barely hidden anger.

I understood what Picard must be feeling, I knew what he must be thinking. But it certainly baffled me seeing it in person. Experience of life in New Eden pointlessly passed trough my mind along with memories of this universe and what is to come. For a moment I understood Q's exasperation with Starfleet.

"Captain. As much as you wish to think so, not everyone has your naivety to believe others are not to get you. I certainly do not understand why there are families on a military ship."

"The Enterprise is a ship of peace, not a ship of war!" Picard responded heatedly "Starfleet's purpose is to serve as a humanitarian and peace-keeping force, our primary mandate is to keep peace and provide sufficient defense to Federation worlds. When not required for this task, our secondary aim is to conduct scientific research by studying and surveying the space within Federation territory."

"That sounds like a military force to me." I briskly said "Still, you must understand Captain. The universe is a unforgiving place. How was I to know you were not trying to blow me up? That you were simply not waiting for reinforcements?"

Picard merely stared at me, and as he reigned his temper with another sip of the tea he replied. "The road from legitimate suspicion to rampant paranoia is very much shorter than we think. I would like to believe that all races in the universe can co-exist in peace, and that aggression shall be only used as last resort."

"We are what we are, and we're doing the best we can. It is not for you to set the standards by which we should be judged." I exclaimed heatedly, before I took a few seconds to calm down and continue; "Until we set aside our mutual fears and trust one another, we have no hope of co-existing. Something I find will be hard for both of us, yet you believe the whole universe is capable of doing so?"

Picard held his peace and kept his face quite still through this. He felt he was being judged as benighted savage in the presence of the Fabricator-General cold visage. The previous monotonous voice of this being gaining emotion each passing remark.

"Should we continue accusing each other until hostility lead to violence?" Picard stated, "While I am not pleased with both our actions. I believe at the very least we can leave bygones be bygones." Massaging his temples for a brief moment Picard looked back to the Empyrean. "Regarding your appearance on the Kzinti Demilitarized zone, I ask you to follow us to Deep Space Five, from there we can consult Star Fleet and plan what to do for you and your crew future on the Alpha Quadrant. After getting a clearer picture of the situation we can surely loca-"

"No." was the succinct reply voiced by the man. "I'm willing to offer your ship any aid I can give, and even escort you to said station if needed. But you are talking as if I already was a member of this Federation."

"Sir," Picard interrupted. "Fabricator-General, if I may. You must understand that, as one of the Federation's starships in this area, I have a responsibility to-"

"You have no responsibility that we recognize," the man replied. "Responsibility cannot be imposed from outside. It can only be assumed willingly, by those willing to make answer."

"Yes," Picard said, wondering what he was getting himself into. "And since I have to make answer to the Federation authorities-"

"We do not," said the Fabricator-General. "If my presence is the problem, I would like to request a Star-map of the area and I will gladly leave the Federation Territories. I am willing to negotiate as you said, an agreement mutually beneficial to both parties, but I do not seek to become part of your Federation or answer to it."

It didn't take long before order was restored and personnel returned to their posts. But it seemed to the first officer that Dr. Crusher would have some new casualties to deal with.

"Report," Commander Riker exclaimed nursing his head from the command chair.

Lieutenant Yar glanced soberly at her monitors. "Weapons are offline," she told the Commander. "So is the warp drive. The impulse engines have been damaged as well, there is no saying how long they will last."

"Communication systems are down, Commander." Lieutenant Worf voice from the conn was tense but controlled. "Auxiliary power is not responding, sir. Life support is on battery backup and holding."

Riker scowled. Without shields, weapons, or the ability to go to warp they were defenseless. The only thing keeping them from annihilation was their impulse drive, and that might abandon them at any moment. He briefly wondered why they were still alive too. Still they were in a precarious situation and without knowing the status of Engineering... He half wanted to race down there himself. "Helm?" He edged toward the conn.

Lieutenant Torres shook his head in exasperation. "There is no helm control, sir."

The Commander leaned over the helm and inspected the near-dead controls. No helm, no sensors, and the last reading they did get was of the hostile ships warping away at speeds exceeding warp nine point nine.

He needed to pull a rabbit out of his hat. And quickly.

He was powerless at the moment. As he looked around the bridge, he could see the apprehension and frustration on the faces of his fellow officers. Worf, in particular, wore a grimmer scowl than usual.

It wasn't long before the starboard lift door opened, and Riker pivoted toward it as an Ensign shot onto the bridge.

"Status?" Riker demanded.

"Sir, we've lost all main power. Sickbay is on internal batteries, so are the lifts. Every nonessential system is down." The ensign exclaimed as he moved himself into the engineering console on the back of the bridge "Inertial Dampers and the Structural Integrity Field are using the artificial gravity power grid. La Forge did that first."

Riker nodded and turned to Lieutenant Yar "Signal all crew, deck by deck. Until the internal comms are working, we fall back on relays. Then see go see the armory. Priorities: arming the crew, sensors, shields, communications. If they are keeping us alive it's because they want prisoners." The Commander hoped he had put priority on the right systems, and he half wanted to go there and help himself. "Go!"


End file.
